Away from the Sun
by Warriormaid 3000
Summary: Sonfic to Away from the Sun by 3 Doors Down. One-Shot of Grath's feelings of hatred towards the searats and her desire for revenge. It's somewhat of a follow-up to Pearl Tears, and may refer back to some previous scenes.


A/N- Finally, I was able to come up with a sort of sequel to Pearl Tears. This fic kind of explains the other part of Grath, the vengeful one that was shown to some extent in the books. I plan to have a third and final piece to this somewhat of a trilogy, which will be some nice Grath and Inbar fluff to bring things to a close. Hope you enjoy this!!! Lyrics from "Away from the Sun" by 3 Doors Down.

(Begin Away from the Sun)

_It's down to this  
I've got to make this life make sense  
Can anyone do what I've done  
I missed life  
I missed the colors of the world  
Can anyone go where I am_

Midnight. Utter, complete darkness, save for a pale sliver of moon illuminating the sky, almost completely hidden behind the dark storm clouds. On the eerily quiet shoreline, dark shadows loom, dancing and flickering in an endless midnight dance. The wind whipped through the trees, their figures casting long dark shadows, like gnarled arms reaching to claim the soul of a careless passerby. And constantly, the wave lapped the shoreline-over and over again in an unending dirge.

_'Cause now again I've found myself  
So far down, away from the sun  
That shines into the darkest place  
I'm so far down, away from the sun again  
Away from the sun again_

I cast my own shadow as I walk the beach, staying within the realm of shadows. My footfalls are silent and stealthy, making nary sound as I slip through the night, agile as a leaf spinning on the wind. My keen eyes, burning blooded against the dark of night, flicker back and forth, missing nothing. And always, my paws are at the bowstring of my bow, and a quiver of deadly arrows, each ready to fly straight and true, sits at my waist. I am not a vermin or an evil creature, as some may think. My name is Grath Longfletch of the Holt Lutra.

_I'm over this  
I'm tired of living in the dark  
Can anyone see me down here  
The feeling's gone  
There's nothing left to lift me up  
Back into the world I've known_

Suddenly, a new sound caught my ears. Loud, clumsy footsteps, with a rough manner that could only belong to one creature-a searat. Effortlessly now, I swiftly slipped a green-fletched arrow into my bowstring. There was just enough light for me to make out his form, unaware of another creatures existence. It would be his bane, for I have never missed. I pull back my bowstring, feeling the finely woven string stretch to its very limits, and I release, sending a green-flighted messenger of death into the night.

Seconds later, a shrill cry pierced the air, and a thump-a sound I was now so accustomed too, the sound of a carcass hitting the ground. "When you reach the Dark forest, tell them that Grath Longfletch sent you," I hissed, resisting the fleeting urge to laugh. One less searat to reek it's destruction on the world.

And I was one searat closer to having my revenge.

_'Cause now again I've found myself  
So far down, away from the sun  
That shines into the darkest place  
I'm so far down, away from the sun_

I despised searats with ever fibre of my existence-it coursed through my veins like wild fire, plagued my mind day and night. The seascum did not deserve to live; they deserved to be wiped off the face of the planet. It is only fair. It is, as they all call it, justice.

My heart burned as I remembered the day the searats killed my holt. The screams, the destruction were still engraved freshly into my mind. The image of my home, the only home I had ever known, being consumed by roaring flames would never leave me, nor would the memory of the pain and fear I felt Often, I heard tales of the mighty badger lords, taken by the unstoppable rage creatures called the bloodwrath, the unstopping battle lust. Now I know I am taken by the same rage, the same gripping wildfire of vengeance, and I both embrace it and fear it.

_That shines the life away from me  
To find my way back into the arms  
That care about the ones like me  
I'm so far down, away from the sun again_

I look up at the moon. It seemed to have slipped even further behind the dark encompassing clouds, and I shiver. Is it symbolic of my heart, so gripped by darkness and revenge that the old me is slipping further and further away? I remember that day, when I stood by the shoreline, and think back on that promise I made. Clearly now, I remember in exact detail the sun breaking through the gloomy grey clouds, shining in all it's glory. The rainbow, its pure simple beauty spreading across the sky. I remember the promise I made to my holt, and I wonder. Is this what they would have wanted for me? A part of me said _yes, of course. _I was avenging their deaths, was I not? This was justice. It was part of life.

Another part of my mind spoke otherwise. _They want to be avenged, yes, but not in this manner. They would never want you to be this shadow of who you once were, this ruthless killer_

_It's down to this  
I've got to make this life make sense  
And now I can't do what I've done_

But as soon as that thought-my one ray of light cutting through the darkness of my heart came through, I saw, dreamlike but as clearly as if it were before my eyes, the bodies of my kin littering the ground. My home rising up in flames. I can almost feel the pain all over again, and hear myself scream, both in fear, horror and helpless rage.

_And now again I've found myself  
So far down, away from the sun  
That shines the life away from me_

Above me, the once glowing moon is now completely covered by dark black clouds and likewise my heart hardened again. I gripped my bow tighter and slipped into the shadows. A chilly draft of wind cut through the night, but I scarcely felt the cold. The bloodwrath was upon me once again, and it mattered little that for a little time I was able to be free of its darkness.

There was no stopping it.

_'Cause now again I've found myself  
So far down, away from the sun  
That shines into the darkest place  
I'm so far down, away from the sun  
That shines the life away from me  
To find my way back into the arms  
That care about the ones like me  
I'm so far down, away from the sun again_


End file.
